The Baldwin Twins
Vera Tam Baldwin and Phoebe Lux Baldwin are twins played by the One of Many Faces. Their designs are based off of weapons. Though they were designed for a sci-fi homebrew, they have been adapted to the standard medieval D&D. They represent the One's different aspects and views of love. Vera Tam and Phoebe Lux Baldwin Played By The One of Many Faces Race Half-elves Class Ranger, Bard (non-arcane) Alignment Neutral Good Status Separated Favored Weapon Various Bows Favored Spell NA Appearances The twins, as appear in D&D and with the available technology, are as such. They are half-elves who take after their human mother, fairer than humans and less alien to humans than elves. For half-elves, they are rather tall, standing 5'6". They weigh around 140 pounds. By human approximation, they appear to be in their early to mid-twenties. Their skin is the same rich brown as the wood of Vera Tam's bow and Phoebe Lux's violin. Originally identical, the twins have altered their bodies to suit their personalities. Vera Tam has pony-tailed hair enchanted to grow as flint-gray as her arrowheads, the sides shaven and tattooed with the makes and names of all the weapons she has ever wielded. Phoebe Lux's hair is enchanted to grow wavy and iridescent purple; a blue bandana tied around it like a headband keeps it in place. Their eyes match each others' hair. While Vera Tam does not concern herself with cosmetics, it is almost impossible to find Phoebe Lux without colored lips. Phoebe Lux has had other physical enhancements to increase her beauty, whereas Vera Tam's only physical enhancements are the musculature that comes from strenuous weapon-wielding. Their clothing styles also reflect these different values: Vera Tam presents as tough, electing to wear pants and vests riddled with utility pockets; and Phoebe Lux designs her look around grace, choosing colorful and flowing garments (particularly her knee-length red skirt). In Dorado, their skin is blue-gray (like Vera Tam's gun and Phoebe Lux's metal violin) and they stand a foot taller and weigh accordingly. The rest is the same. Back Story The illegitimate children of an elven noble and his human maid, the twins were unwanted outcasts before they were born. Those other servants who knew the twins' origin realized two things about children descended from powerful blood: they could be used to usurp the power from legitimate heirs, or they could be sold to the church of a local deity that only took followers from powerful families. As the former was dangerous and the latter was profitable, the servants concealed the twins' identities and collectively took care of them until they were old enough to be sold. Before they were sold, they learned much from the servants. Vera Tam discovered an interest for ranged weapons; though not allowed to touch them, she studied their use diligently. She also developed a knack for cooking. Phoebe Lux, on the other hand, appreciated the arts displayed in her home: paintings, gardens, and, her favorite, music. She began mimicking dances and practiced recalling and humming tunes only heard once. While their interests were separate, they were not. No matter where one went, the other was with her. Their only playmates among people who did not care about them as anything more than an investment, they became so attuned to each other that they practically knew what the other was thinking at all times. They remained as close even after they were sold and made new friends among their fellows. The church proved to be a dream for Phoebe Lux and a headache for Vera Tam. Following a deity of love, passion, and beauty, the church trained its charges to radiate these qualities to the world. It taught them music (singing, instrument-playing, dance), design aesthetics, some martial arts, classical weapons (such as bow and sword), psychology and other social sciences, calligraphy, literature, ceremony, health practices, and other skills to increase their classiness and appeal. Phoebe Lux excelled at most of these and was well on her way to becoming a high-ranking member of the church. Vera Tam only performed well in the combat-oriented skills, martial arts and classic weaponry. At first, she did not even perform well in these, her frustration with the church's philosophies ruining her patience for learning these until an encounter with a visiting donor spoke to her about the beauty in a well-shot arrow. After this, mellowed and began excelling in these areas. One other talent she had that no one expected was a singing voice that outshone her sister's. Still, she was likely to be cast out from the church for her lacks, and, if not, she loathed the idea of staying and conforming to their expectations past her training. After discussing the matter, the twins who could not bear to be apart decided to run away together. They packed everything they thought might be useful, fled the church, and stowed away on the first transport out of town they could find. This proved detrimental to Phoebe Lux; having not completed her training, applying her partial knowledge to interactions in the world led to a series of misunderstandings and mistakes that resulted in tears and disillusionment. She learned the hard way some of what she missed. The two took odd jobs, sometimes as mercenaries, sometimes as a bouncer and a dancer at drinking establishments. They built a reputation and a bank account, perfecting their respective arts as an archer and a musician. Despite loving how their identical looks marked them as a set, as family, they began altering their appearances to reflect their own personalities. It took a large amount of money, but both of them viewed it as an investment; they looked the part for the jobs each preferred. The inseparable lost each other by the simplest mistake. Disembarking a large ship after a job, Phoebe Lux realized they had forgotten their payment on board. Vera Tam volunteered to go back for it while her sister arranged their lunch accommodations. Before she could return, however, the ship set out once again, taking her with it. When Phoebe Lux went looking for her sister to tell her where she had booked their meal, she was just in time to see the ship well on its way from there. After asking around, she realized her sister was still aboard. Though she tried to book the next ship for the same destination, that would not leave for another week. By the time she arrived, Vera Tam had already left back the way she had come. They missed each other. Eventually, both realized they needed to go to someplace important to both of them. The closest thing to that was their hometown, most likely the church. Both began the long journey there, asking wherever they went if anyone had seen the other recently. Involvement Recovery QS In Daizemor, Vera Tam is hired to find a talisman that would allow the Daizemorans to commit genocide against the monstrous races living on an island they wish to reclaim. Vera Tam intends to steal the talisman and run to prevent such wickedness from taking place, but she is killed before even finding the talisman. She wakes from this nightmare in her bed in an inn in Dunsend, in the world Terra. Murder in Dunsend In Dunsend in Terra, a hurricane has trapped Vera Tam inside the inn, and she spends more of her time ignoring people and playing darts. When someone is murdered, she and several other adventurers start investigating. They discover this to be the work of a cult. After the hurricane settles down, they head into the surrounding woods to find the cultists base of operations. They wipe out the lackeys only to find that the leader is the Horseman of the Apocalypse, Ivo, War. He has other people to slaughter and leaves them, but the group is shaken by the revelation that the apocalypse is beginning. Personalities Vera Tam is tough, mistrustful, resourceful, and wise. Phoebe Lux is sweet, naive, persuasive, and self-concealed. They are bold about their individualities but proud to be a matched pair. Phoebe Lux loves music, people, and beauty; Vera Tam loves archery, power, and precision. Mistrustful of all, Vera Tam has focused study on how best to kill certain enemies that have proved particularly harmful to her and her sister: orcs and goblins. Due to naive actions not long after running away from the church, Phoebe Lux is disillusioned with romantic true love. Though she thinks highly of the idea, she does not believe in it. Beliefs Despite growing up in a church, their beliefs diverge. Vera Tam believes in her own abilities and the equalizing force of nature, which she reveres and channels as divine magic. Phoebe Lux, though once familiar with rudimentary bardic magic, has abandoned spells in favor of the heart and mind. She favors the church's god and calls herself an amateur practitioner, though not a follower. Fighting Styles Phoebe Lux would rather talk than fight, but when fighting is inevitable, she prefers to aid her comrades with song. When angered, she can turn her song detrimental to enemies. If necessary, she defends herself and others with weapons, standing back from the fray with a bow. She can also use a rapier if close quarters are unavoidable. Vera Tam tries to avoid direct confrontation, preferring to shoot a crossbow or bow from a hidden position, but she gladly exchanges head-on blows with her punching dagger. She also uses natural divine magic, but she cannot rely on this due to how little she knows. Relationships with Other Characters They adore each other. Phoebe Lux is quick to befriend other people and often takes their problems onto herself. Vera Tam is cautious around others but a steadfast ally to those who prove themselves. Visiting Donor: This character is Vera Tam's hero. When Vera Tam was performing poorly in her archery lessons, the donor noticed her pain and frustration and spoke to her about it. They discussed the church's ideas of beauty, and the donor taught her that beauty could manifest in many forms. The insistence that Vera Tam slow down, aim carefully, and show the donor a "beautiful shot" led to Vera Tam mastering archery and coping with the clash of beliefs living in the church. Michael: Phoebe Lux met Michael once, though she does not remember him particularly well. They did not spend long together, but they were friendly during that time despite the confusion that brought them together. She taught him some of the things she had learned about in the church. If she could recall the nearly unconditional kindness and respect with which he treated her, she might not be so disillusioned. [[Minor_Characters_(Emilie)#Sophia_Miron.2C_Rogue|'Sophia Miron']] and [[Marros Vicden|'Marros Vicden']]: From what she can tell before she dies/wakes during the Recovery QS, the rogue Sophia and the ranger Marros are selfish people willing to aid in genocide if they are paid. Also, they seem obsessed with pastries. She is unaware of the selfless actions they took after her time in the QS ended. The Dunsend Murder Mystery Group: They worked well to defeat the cultists, but they sure were some strange folks. Especially the cat. And the bird. Appear In * Recovery QS * Dunsend Murder Mystery Trivia * The Baldwin twins are inspired by weapons in Firefly. Thus, they are designed as humanized weapons, particularly Vera Tam, with some Companion-like traits, especially Phoebe Lux. Their personalities are also comparable to those of Lin and Su Beifong from Legend of Korra. The One of Many Faces is a huge nerd. * Initially designed for the extraterrestrial sci-fi Dorado campaigns, they were imported for the standard medieval fantasy D&D campaigns. Their names and other details represent in which campaigns they are featuring; in Dorado, they are Vera and Lux; in D&D, they are Tam and Phoebe. * Vera Tam was born nine minutes before Phoebe Lux. Though she likes to think of herself as the older sister, that they are identical is proof that they were conceived at exactly the same moment and, therefore, have existed for the exact same amount of time. Phoebe Lux never fails to remind her of this whenever she takes on the "older" mindset. * Phoebe Lux is half of a favorite ship. * Vera Tam does not participate in shipping. Category:Player Characters Category:ManyFacedOne